Underneath this smile
by cat.cruz93
Summary: she lost her brother, he lost his sister, she floundering on the edge of insanity, he wants to save her but will the memories of his sister stop him? will his similarities to her brother help or hinder the grieving process? you'll have to read to find out


_**Underneath this Smile: Nicabelle**_

_**This is for Gaia was framed, for initially requesting a romance between these two in my original TMI/PJO crossover To Many Half Bloods in New York City. And okay…their names are really cute mashed together. Any way Isabelle Lightwood belongs to Cassandra Clare and Nico Di Angelo belongs to Rick Riordan and Underneath This Smile belongs to Hilary Duff, yeah I'm going old school in my music. Here ya go. **_

_**What I'm standing on is sinking in, and I don't have a clue how to get off of it. But when I look at you there is hope, it's like you can see the sadness in my eyes, you read the blue between the lines, you could be the one to hold me when I wanna cry….**_

"She's like Bianca's age, man" Percy said breaking through Nico's thoughts.

"What?" he asked not hearing his cousin entirely.

"Isabelle is like _my_ age dude, Bianca wouldn't approve." Percy said again, a disapprove look crossing his features. "Besides she's out of your league, Casper." Nico scowled at the nickname and proceeded to ignore the elder demigod.

"it's different….there's pain there…." Nico said thoughtfully after a while as he watched Isabelle talk to a gangly curly haired boy animatedly. Percy looked at Nico curiously, as if hoping he'd clarify, he didn't, because Nico prefers to muse over his findings rather than discuss them, and Percy knew that, but he waited incase Nico decided he had more to say….he didn't. Percy rolled his eyes and stood up, there was no hope when Aphrodite was involved.

"Nico? Hey!" Isabelle said walking up to the twelve year old, the boy smiled a small blush gracing his pale features.

"How bad?" he asked looking her in the eye. Isabelle froze, _he always knows doesn't he?_ She thought tilting her head in mock confusion, her long black hair falling over her shoulder.

"I'm afraid I don't know what you mean." She said feigning stupidity. Nico's black eyes board into her soul, she felt her resolve break as tears swarmed her vision. "Crap…" she said wiping away the tears quickly, she hated crying, absolutely hated it. "i…" she took a steadying breath, "had another dream, he was awake for the whole thing…" she choked on a sob as Nico's lean arms wrapped around her.

"It's okay….shush…I know it hurts so bad, I understand…really I do." Nico soothed as he stroked her hair.

"do you? Do you really, or are you just saying that?" Isabelle asked looking at Nico with untrusting eyes. He chuckled quietly.

"Bianca was the same way, she was a huntress, never trusted men….only me, and at one point Percy, but never Father or any others ." Nico said, sadness filling his obsidian eyes. He smiled a small sad smile at the memory, "But yes, I really really do understand. I'm not just saying it."

_**Underneath this smile, my world is slowly caving in, all the while, I'm hanging on, cause that is all I know. Could you be the one to save me from every bad habit that's help me dig this hole, I've been hiding out for miles underneath…smile…yeah…I have walked this earth with broken bones, I've been keeping secrets under all these lights, but when you're around my defenses go. You don't let me run away from you, you don't let me twist and turn the truth. It feels as if I'm naked when you're standing in the room….**_

"B? hey! Are you listening!" Nico called to the ghostly realm that surrounded him, he received no response. "BIANCA!" he cried. Still nothing. He felt tears well in his eyes. "Sis, I need you, please?" tears rolled down his cheeks. She was never going to respond…never again. He curled up on his hell palace bed and closed his eyes.

_He was running, Bianca was just foot or two head, she giggled, "You'll never catch me Nico!" she yelled back at him, she turned her head to look at him, but her face was not Bianca's, she had large black brown eyes, full pink lip and long obsidian black hair, she smiled and winked at him. "Come on Demigod, I'm not getting any younger." Suddenly a giant bronze had grabbed her and lifted her off the ground. _

_ "ISABELLE_ NO!" Nico shot up from his bed and looked around him, he was no longer in his palace bedroom, he was on the sidewalk outside the New York institute. "how the hades did I end up here? These powers are getting out of hand." He thought aloud as he stood, dusting himself off, "I wonder if she's up…" he murmured as he walked up the stairs.

_**Underneath this smile, my world is slowly caving in all the while I'm hanging on instead of letting go. Could you be the one to save me from every bad habit that help me dig this whole, I've hiding out for miles…underneath this smile, underneath this smile, oh yeah…Underneath this smile my world is slowly caving in, all the while I'm hanging on instead of letting go! Could you be the one to save me from every bad habit that help me dig this whole? Underneath this smile, Could you be the one to save from every bad habit that helped me dig this whole? I've been hiding out for miles underneath this….underneath this smile….**_

_ "Max, MAX? Oh Angel! Oh no no no, not you anyone but you!" she cried holding the small lifeless body close, she looked up at the young man she mistrusted with her baby brother's life, "YOU MONSTER! HE WAS ONLY NINE! HE NEVER DID ANYTHING YOU-" she stopped as Sebastian approached her with a sick smile on his face. _

_ "You were only sixteen." _

Isabelle awoke with a scream, "Isabelle?" a timid voice asked as Nico appeared out of the darkness of her closet. His black eyes wide with worry. "Are you okay?" Isabelle shook her head as he crawled on to her bed and pulled her to him.

"He was only nine…he never did anything wrong…" she sobbed against Nico.

"Shush, it's not your fault, and besides the guy was taking care of right?" Isabelle nodded huddling closer to Nico, not to his warmth per say, Nico wasn't warm, he was more like Luke warm or a fall evening, not quite warm enough for a t shirt but not quite cool enough for a jacket. No she huddled into his comfort, his mutual understanding, because he was the only thing keeping her from plummeting, to what? She didn't exactly know, but she did know that he was the only string keeping her alive.

_**What I'm standing on is sinking in…**_


End file.
